Yankees in first and dealing: The empire strikes back

The New York Yankees have battled back into first place in the American League East Division, and are once again making big deals for big names.

It has now been almost five years since the New York Yankees last captured an American League East Division crown. There has been just one World Series championship in the Bronx in the last 17 years.

While the majority of MLB fan bases would be fine with their team having won a division title as recently as five years ago and a world championship just eight years ago, this isn’t most teams.

The New York Yankees are supposed to be the gold standard of Major League Baseball. The franchise has captured 27 World Series titles, 16 more than the next highest club. They have won 40 American League pennants.

The two decades between 1994 and 2012 were particularly spectacular for the Yankees. The team finished in first place in the AL East in 14 of those 19 seasons. They won the AL pennant and advanced to the Fall Classic seven times, winning the World Series five times.

But over the last four full seasons, the Yanks won between 84 and 87 games. They finished second twice, third once, and then last season had fallen to fourth place in the division.

In those four seasons, there was just one playoff game. The Houston Astros shut the Yankees out 3-0 in the 2015 AL Wild Card Game.

SURPRISE 2017 CONTENDERS

Coming into this season, the Yankees were seen by many as having an aging core. Most had manager Joe Girardi‘s club finishing between third and fifth place in the AL East in the 2017 season. When the team lost four of its first five games, it seemed like nothing was happening to contradict those predictions.

More from New York Yankees

• Time for the Yankees to embrace change: A call for Brian Cashman’s departure
• Stock Up, Stock Down: Braves, Yankees, Cubs, Red Sox
• New York Yankees: The harsh decline of Luis Severino
• New York Yankees: 4 players who are on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
• New York Yankees: Everson Pereira awaiting call-up in Triple-A

But then the Yankees began to win. Led by tremendous performances from the lineup’s two youngest members, catcher Gary Sanchez and right fielder Aaron Judge, the club reeled off eight straight victories after that slow start.

The winning came with consistency for the Yankees over the next two months. The new version of the Bronx Bombers spent most of the period between mid-April and late June at the top. At one point, they opened up a four-game lead in the division.

In mid-June, however, the Yankees began to slow down. From June 13 through July 19, the team went just 10-22. They plummeted to third place, 4.5 games behind the arch-rival Boston Red Sox, who seemed ready to run away with the division.

But over the last 10 days or so, the Yanks have righted their ship. Following Monday’s 7-3 victory at Yankee Stadium over the visiting Detroit Tigers, the club has won nine of its last 11 games.

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

Inspired by his team’s play this year, general manager Brian Cashman decided to do whatever he could to move up their timetable for championship contention.

On July 19, Cashman sent reliever Tyler Clippard and prospects Blake Rutherford, Ian Clarkin and Tito Polo to the Chicago White Sox. In exchange, slugging third baseman Todd Frazier and a pair of proven relievers in David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle came to New York.

In the last two days, Cashman acted to plug up holes in the starting rotation. First he sent prospect arms Dietrich Enns and Zack Littell to the Minnesota Twins on Sunday for nine-year veteran lefty Jaime Garcia.

And then on Monday’s MLB trade deadline, he landed a big fish. Right-handed starting pitcher Sonny Gray was acquired from the Oakland A’s in exchange for prospects James Kaprielian, Dustin Fowler and Jorge Mateo.

STEINBRENNER LEGACY LIVES

After a decade of losing in which the franchise fell to its lowest-ever depths, the Yankees began to win again with regularity in the mid-1970s under their late, legendary owner George Steinbrenner.

His spending on big-ticket free agents brought the Yankees the unflattering nickname “The Evil Empire,” based on the original blockbuster Star Wars movie released in 1977.

These modern-day Yankees were not willing to fade and let the Red Sox run away and hide. They were not going to tread water, hoping to scrape into a Wild Card spot. They were unwilling to wait for more prospects to develop, and possibly win in a year or two.

With his moves of the last couple weeks, Cashman is clearly signaling that under the stewardship of himself and Steinbrenner’s sons, Hal and Hank, the Empire is striking back – now.

Next: Yankees acquire Sonny Gray at deadline

The latest winning spurt has pushed the Yankees back to the top of the AL East standings. Headed into Tuesday’s action they hold a half-game lead over Boston.

With these latest moves, management and ownership have done their part to help ensure that the Yankees have the pieces to contend for the division crown to the end. Perhaps even to make a deep October run.